Glendale State Farm Stadium COVID-19 Vaccination Site Will Move Indoors At Gila River Arena
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Arizona’s largest mass vaccination site at State Farm Stadium in Glendale will relocate to Gila River Arena later this month as the state health department looks for a solution to keep workers and volunteers cool in hot weather.
State-run mass vaccination sites have administered more than a quarter of all COVID-19 shots in Arizona. But as temperatures rise, the outdoor drive-through model isn’t going to work. Next week, the State Farm Stadium site will no longer operate 24 hours a day. It will switch to nighttime hours only. Then, on April 23, it will move indoors at Glendale’s Gila River Arena, home to the Arizona Coyotes.
Appointments there will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the new site will have the capacity to administer 1,000 shots per hour, according to a press release.
The Arizona Department of Health Services' Chandler-Gilbert Community College vaccination site is also moving to an indoor distribution center in Mesa starting next week.
The Dexcom distribution center will be the first indoor site in the state, as outdoor temperatures rise and get too hot for volunteers, and those getting shots.
The state health department plans to offer 3,000-4,000 appointments a day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. It plans to ramp up to 12,000 appointments per day, and operate 24 hours a day in the future.
Those who received their first dose at the Chandler-Gilbert site have already been scheduled for their second doses at the distribution center.
The state health department is opening registration for appointments at its vaccination sites each Friday at 11 a.m. at podvaccine.azdhs.gov or 844-542-8201. Hundreds of pharmacies, clinics and other sites are now also providing vaccines in Arizona.
→ Q&AZ: What You Need To Know About Getting The Coronavirus Vaccine In Arizona
